1
as in misleading
tending or having power to deceive
in his deceptive answer about the vehicle's history, the salesman said that the used car had never been hit by another car
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in fraudulent
given to or marked by cheating and deception
a mail-order firm indicted for deceptive business practices
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of deceptive
But also, that’s a slightly deceptive analogy because there’s other ones where all eras exist at once.
—
Ari Daniel, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 May 2025
My office is committed to protecting the public from deceptive business practices and holding these companies accountable for their role in the plastic pollution crisis.
—Sophie Clark, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 May 2025
In the 1970s, information about the Tuskegee study – a deceptive and unethical 40-year study of untreated syphilis in Black men – came to light.
—Christine Coughlin, The Conversation, 9 May 2025
Anyone wanting to fight such usage would have to rely on deceptive practice laws, trademark and copyright protection, and state-specific laws protecting a person's name, image, and likeness.
—Neil J. Rubenking, PC Magazine, 2 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for deceptive
Ari Daniel, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 May 2025
My office is committed to protecting the public from deceptive business practices and holding these companies accountable for their role in the plastic pollution crisis.
—Sophie Clark, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 May 2025
In the 1970s, information about the Tuskegee study – a deceptive and unethical 40-year study of untreated syphilis in Black men – came to light.
—Christine Coughlin, The Conversation, 9 May 2025
Anyone wanting to fight such usage would have to rely on deceptive practice laws, trademark and copyright protection, and state-specific laws protecting a person's name, image, and likeness.
—Neil J. Rubenking, PC Magazine, 2 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for deceptive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deceptive
Adjective
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In 2024, Nicolás Maduro won his reelection in a race contested as fraudulent by the opposition.—
Sergio Martínez-Beltrán,
NPR,
19 May 2025
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Real examples: Six people were charged with attempting to steal $80 million through fraudulent checks tied to COVID-19 relief funds.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
18 May 2025
Adjective
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Now their weird discomfort with disease—and their outré views on cancer in particular—is being refracted through a sea of false, indecent speculations.—
Benjamin Mazer,
The Atlantic,
19 May 2025
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The temperature of online discourse can often provide a false reading of a fanbase’s opinion on a manager or a team.—
Jordan Campbell,
New York Times,
19 May 2025
Adjective
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Gates has three ecosystems on her quarter-acre: a sunny front yard, a shady back plot and a small wetland garden on one side.—
USA Today,
USA Today,
16 May 2025
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The fear this instills in I-Jing — already ignored by her busy mother, nor attended to by her mercurial older sister, I-Ann, who holds a grudge against her mother and rebels by working at a shady betel nut stand — sets off a secrets-unearthing chain of events.—
Ritesh Mehta,
IndieWire,
14 May 2025
Adjective
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There's also research showing that AI agents can easily be subversive, self-serving and dishonest in their actions.—
Lisa Loud,
Forbes.com,
12 May 2025
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That’s a fact, so saying otherwise is dishonest and can lead to confusion.—
Harriette Cole,
Mercury News,
5 May 2025
Adjective
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Among them is Tonic, which stars Blair (Sin City: A Dame to Kill For) as Sebastian Poe, a struggling jazz pianist who is given 24 hours to kill a dangerous drug dealer (Westwick) by a crooked cop (Jaso Coviello), and spirals into a moral and emotional tailspin.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
15 May 2025
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Cigarette smoke, dames to kill for, crooked cops — latex super suit?—
Ryan Coleman,
EW.com,
13 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Deceptive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deceptive. Accessed 25 May. 2025.
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